Randy Newman: Having Fun But Not Making A Habit Of It

WHEN RANDY Newman finally decided to become a performer rather than continue his career as a sequestered genius — "I was surprised when I did it but I thought I’d regret it ten or fifteen years from now if I didn’t; I make a lot of my decisions that way..." — he prepared himself for show biz by letting his fuzzy hair get fuzzier and getting some wire-rimmed glasses. That’s all. Otherwise, he was still the same rumpled, slightly stooped, and mostly suburban family man as before.